Dimebag Darrell Killed In Onstage Shooting

Former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot and killed last night at a show in Columbus, Ohio.

According to Associated Press, Darrell's new band, Damageplan, had just begun their set when a man in a hooded sweatshirt walked up onstage. The assailant yelled and began firing a gun, killing Abbott and at least three other people.

Witnesses say the man shot Abbott, his apparent target, several times at point-blank range, before turning the gun on the rest of the band and the audience.

A police officer arriving on the scene then shot and killed the attacker.

Darrell and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, were founding members of early '90s thrash-influenced metal act Pantera. Their 1992 hit record, Far Beyond Driven, demonstrated to a surprised American press just how immense the metal fan base was when it debuted at #1 on Billboard's album chart.

When Pantera split in 2003, the brothers Abbott formed Damageplan with Pat Lachman on vocals and Bob Zilla taking bass duties. The band would play the Pantera songs written by Darrell and Paul alongside new material, with their debut release New Found Power hitting stores last February.

CHARTattack last spoke with Darrell in May and he was optimistic as can be, saying, "We're thrilled with this band and we have a beautiful fucking future."

He was also truly committed to the band's live experience, saying, "We go out and raise fuckin' hell — it's just in our blood. We just stay burned out; we fucking tear it up as hard as we can every fuckin' night, then we wake up going, 'God damn.' We feel it every morning, but we roll out of bed, get ourselves rehydrated, put some food down then get back in the game and go again. We don't waste a fuckin' night."

Darrell was only 38 years old.